November 13, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This week marked both Veterans Day and the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht and it has me thinking a lot about my Uncle Martin. Martin and my father were born in Germany and, after Kristallnacht, immigrated to New York with their parents, Max and Laura Haberer. The moment Martin turned 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for two and a half years as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles, before being killed in action on January 14th, 1945. He is my namesake and will always be my hero.

Today, about thirty members of your Adolph & Rose Levis JCC community, including Lori and myself, are returning to Europe for an unforgettable journey through Portugal and Spain. Through Travel with the J, we will explore the local Jewish histories, learning about the crypto-Jews, the Portuguese and Spanish Inquisitions, and the remaining communities that have endured throughout the centuries. Meanwhile, our own community has been staying busy as an autumnal chill has settled upon our sunny South Palm Beach County. Pottery classes continued this week, bringing artists of all levels together to learn hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques from our talented instructors. Beginners gathered for Mah Jongg Lessons with Deborah Aronstam and Canasta with Diane Benjamin, enjoying another session of fun and friendly competition. And yesterday, our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival’s Fascinating Sephardim Film Series screened Shanghai Ghetto, a powerful documentary about Eastern European Jews who fled Nazi Germany and found refuge in Japanese-occupied Shanghai.

This week's Torah portion is Chayei Sarah (The Life of Sarah) in the book of Genesis, the first in the Five Books of Moses. In it, we meet Rebecca, who marries Abraham’s son Isaac, and comforts him over the loss of his mother, and eventually his father, as well. As we often see in the Torah, one generation makes way for the next. Here at your Levis JCC, we are now in our 44th year of work. We have served three wonderful generations and continue to look ahead to all those who will carry forward our traditions of connection and community. May it always be so.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 5:13 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 6:06 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty